Method of making dies for watchcase-centers



(No Model.) r P. ECAUBERT.

METHOD OF MAKING DIES FOR WATUHGASE CENTERS.

No.514 ,648. Patented Feb. 13, 1894.

PATENT Fries.

FREDERIO ECAUBERT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

METHOD or MAKINGIDIES FOR WATCHCASE-CENTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,648, dated February13, 1894. Application filed May 8,1893. Serial lie-473,388. (N0specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Fnnnnuro ECAUBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Methods of Making Dies for VVatchcase-Centersand other Articles, of which the following is a specification.

111 Letters Patent No. 362,615 granted to me, ies are represented formaking watch ease centers with scallop edges, but the interior surfacesof such dies were made plane so as to allow them to be separated fromthe metal that was rolled 0r pressed up into the scallops of the die bythe action of a roller.

In my present invention 1 am enabled to ornament the surfaces of thewatch case center or other article by the peculiarity of construction ofthe die, the surfaces of such scallop being beveled or curved andreceiving the ornamentation.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation partially in sectionrepresenting the divided scalloped die. Fig. 2 is a cross section inlarger size showing the ornamentation upon the surface of the scallop.Fig. 3 represents the ring from which the die is made, partially insection, the same being prepared for the reception of the ornamentingroller that produces the scallop. Fig. 4 represents the ornamentingroller and section of part of the scalloped die. Fig. 5 is an edge viewof the ornamenting roller and section of the sealloped die, and Fig. 6is an edge view of the ornamenting roller With the curved surfacesthereof ornamented.

In constructing the improved die a ring of soft steel of the proper sizeand shape is first prepared and into the interior thereof recesses aremade at the proper distance apart, as illustrated in Fig. 3,corresponding to the recesses in the completed die.

The ornamenting roller or knurl Bis made with an exterior surfacecorresponding to the scallop to be produced and with the surfaceornamented so that by rotating the ring A and applying the roller 13 tothe interior surface thereof, with the proper pressure the roller embedsitself into the ring and transfers to the interior surface of such ringthe ornaments that are engraved or otherwise formed upon the surfaces ofthe knurling roller B and it is advisable to make use of a reciprocatingor reversed rotary motion in order that the same portion of the knurlingroller and die may always come together in transferring theornarnentfrom the roller to the die.

It will be observed that the scallop is formed by the curved edges 3 ofthe roller and by the inclined surfaces i, and hence the inclinedsurfaces 4 act like wedges to spread the metal laterally as the knurl isembedded into the ring, and the curved edges 3 produce the properoutline to the edges of the scalloped recesses in the ring A, and thejunction 5 between each two scallops upon the knurling roll B forms arocking edge or pivot as the knurling roll B passes from one recess tothe next, and in consequence of this peculiarity of construction, bothof the knurling roll and the scalloped recess formed thereby,I amenabled to transfer from the knurling roll to the ring-shaped die theexact pattern that is engraved or otherwise formed upon the knurlingroll, not only in relation to the shape of the scallop itself, but alsoto the ornamental design engraved or formed upon the inclined surfaces 4of the knurling roll, and if desired upon the round or angular edges 3of such knurling roll; but usually it is advantageous to employ smoothsurfaces upon the curved or angular edges 3 so as to produce a contrastupon the Watch case center between such smooth curved edges and theornamental engraved surfaces 4 at the inclined or curved sides of thescallop.

The ornamentation upon the respective inclined surfaces 4 may be of anydesired character, such for instance as that known in the trade asvermacelli, and in rolling the knurl or ornamenting roller into theinterior surface of the ring 4 and ornanienting the same as aforesaid,the knurl itself passing in and out of the recesses in the inner surfaceof the ring, prevents the development in the interior of the ring of anyundercut recesses that would hold the metal of the watch case centerwhen the same is forced into such recesses by the spinning operationsuch as set forth in my Patent No. 416,832.

After the interior surface of the ring A has been ornamented by theaction of the knurling roll B as aforesaid, the exterior surfaces ofsuch ring are properly turned off and tinished so as to be adapted touse after hardening, and in the exterior surfaces of such ring atsuitable points, creases or narrow channels are made and the ring ishardened and then it is broken apart Where the channels or creasesexist, so as to make the ring die in sections and capable of beingremoved from the Watch case center after such center.

has been spun up therein. This manner of separating the die intosections by breaking is set forth in my Patent No. 404,522.

The die ring Ais to be considerably thicker than the width of therecessed scallop ornaments, in order that the die ring may be of theproper strength, and this ring is received into a proper recess in thebody die D, and the outer die E is also recessed to set over the edge ofthe ring die A so that such ring die Ais firmly held between the twoparts D and E of the die, such parts D and E being secured together byany suitable shell or holder such as shown in my Patent No. 270,644. The

watch case center is to be inserted into this die and expandedthroughout until the metal thereof properly fills the recesses and isornamented on its surface by such ring die A. The means for pressing thewatch case center into such ring die may be of any desired or suitablecharacter, but I find it advantageous to employa roller within the watchcase center, and such roller may be provided with scalloped edges, andbe pressed outwardly so as to roll the metal into the die A and cause itto receive the ornamentation, and the roller may also be adapted tofinish the interior surfaces of the Watch case center and to press themetal into the shoulders or offsets in the dies D and E forming thesnaps of the watch case center in the manner illustrated in my PatentsNos. 270,64t4c and 416,832. It will be observed that this die is adaptedto the production of the peculiar Watch case center represented and thatthe die and the method of making the same are inseparably allied to thearticle produced thereby.

It will be apparent that the ring dieA may be made in two partsseparated atthe dotted line 6 and lying fiatwise together; in this casethe two parts are to be held firmly in a clamp while being recessed andornamented by the roller B as aforesaid and the two parts of the ringare then finished upon their exterior surfaces and hardened, when thetwopart ring die is employed in the manner before described, and the onepart of the ring may be separated from the other part of the ring inremoving the Watch case center or similar article that may be spun orpressed up in the interior of such ring die, thereby rendering itunnecessary to break the ring die apart into sections to allow for theremoval of such die from the periphery of the watch case center orsimilar article.

In the drawings the scalloped edge is represented as composed of aseries of arcs of circles, but it is to be understood that the watchcase center or other article may be made with an undulating outline orwith a series of pointed figures or with alternating curved or straightprojections and intermediate curved or angular recesses, the termscallop as herein employed being intended to apply to all of thedifferent forms other than a true circle that may be employed around theedges of the watch case; and it is further to be understood that thescallops may extend all around the Watch case center or other article oronly part Way around the same, and the roller which is made use ofwithin the watch casetcenter to spread the metal outwardly and fill thesame into the scalloped die, should vary in shape according to theexterior convolution of such scallops, and where the ornamentation onlyextends part way around the article it is usually necessary to give tothe article or to the roller as it may be caused to traverse partiallyaround the interior of the watch case center, a reverse rotary movementfirst in one direction and then in the other, in orderthat the same partof the roller may pass into the same scallop or recess each movement;and the pressure and the rolling action are to be continued, both in themanufacture of the ring-shaped die and in the production of the watchcase center, until the pattern is completely transferred from the hardto the softer material.

I claim as my invention -1. The method herein-specified of making Y thering die for scalloped watch case centers or similar articles,consisting in reeessing the inner surface of the ring die at theproperplaces and while the steel is in a soft condition, pressing into theinterior surface of such ring an ornamenting roller having a seallopededge with the surfaces of the scallops ornamented with the desiredornamental or engraved lines, rotating the respective parts and applyingthe proper pressure until the scallops of the knurling roll are embeddedinto the interior of the soft metal ring, turning off and finishing theexterior surfaces of such ring, and hardening the same, substantially asset forth.

2. The method herein specified of making the ring die for scallopedwatch case centers or similar articles, consisting in recessing theinner surface of the ring die at the proper places and while the steelis in a soft condition, pressing into theinterior surface of such ringan ornamenting roller havinga scalloped edge with the surfaces of thescallops ornamented with the desired ornamental or engraved lines,rotating the respective parts and applying the proper pressure until theseallops of the knurling roll are embedded into the interior of the softmetal ring, turningoif and finishing the exterior of such ring andhardening the same, and breaking such ring into sections, substantiallyas set forth.

Signed by me this 2d day of May, 1893.

F. EGAUBERT.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, A. M. OLIVER.

